A man who robbed a bank in Cambridge by handing over a crumpled note saying ‘This is a bank robbery’ has been jailed for six years.

Brian Murphy, of Crowland Way, Cambridge, was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court yesterday after a jury of eight women and four men took just 56 minutes to convict him.

Murphy, 52, made off with £7,776 in cash after he robbed the Market Hill branch of NatWest on April 27 this year.

The court heard Murphy entered the outlet at about 2pm wearing dark clothing to disguise his appearance and handed over a note to the cashier demanding they hand over money.

Roxanne Ainsthorpe, prosecuting, said the cashier managed to slip a dye module in Murphy’s bag which exploded after he left, covering the cash with red dye.

Miss Ainsthorpe told the court Murphy then started to spend the stolen money just hours later at a Coral bookmaker’s in Cambridge before travelling by train to Great Yarmouth.

The following day he carried on shopping, buying toiletries from Wilko, clothing from BHS and food from Lidl, as well as placing a number of other bets.

Miss Ainsthorpe said: “I suggest that this is someone who was on the run from a bank robbery.”

She added Murphy had tried to conceal his identity when he checked into a campsite at Great Yarmouth by offering a false name.

The court previously heard that red dye was discovered on the defendant’s clothing after the robbery, including on the cuffs of his top and the pockets of his trousers.

He was arrested on April 30. A key fob to the caravan park was found on his possession and upon further investigation police officers found receipts and a new suitcase filled with £3,000 in red-stained notes.

Murphy refused to comment in police interview and did not give evidence in court.

However Mark Shelley, defending, said the question of identity was a “glaring hole” in the prosecution’s case.

He said a witness at the bank – who had been just metres away when the robbery occurred – had not identified Murphy during identity parades.

Mr Shelley said the prosecution had “failed” to prove Murphy was at the bank during the robbery and so they were instead trying to prove he was there by means of “circumstantial evidence”.